title: High-dose erythropoietin in acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We sought to perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the potential influence of high-dose erythropoietin (EPO) on cardiac function parameters in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  By searching PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library (up to December 2012), seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting cardiac functional parameters with a total of 1,250 acute STEMI patients were identified. When applied to patients with acute STEMI, high-dose EPO was relatively safe and no increase in all-caused death and severe adverse effects were indicated. Estimates were pooled from fixed or random effects models. Compared with controls, high-dose EPO resulted in a slight but significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction of 1.02 % [95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.17-1.88, P = 0.019, I (2) = 0 %] and an improvement in left ventricular end-systolic volume of -4.61 ml (95 % CI -7.64 to -1.58, P = 0.003, I (2) = 27.7 %).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Available evidence suggested that high-dose EPO has limited cardio-protective effects in patients with STEMI. However, considering the relatively short follow-up durations and small patient populations in the current RCTs, the effects of high-dose EPO on clinical outcomes in patients with STEMI need to be evaluated in larger prospective RCTs of longer duration.
authors.affiliation: Center for Translational Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, China.
authors.forename: Yanting
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Jingyan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D004921:Erythropoietin